Insulated construction panel



April 17, 1956 H. M. STRONG 2,742,115

INSULATED CONSTRUCTION PANEL Filed June 24, 1952 Inventor-z Herbert M. Strong by W 4 53,40

His Attow-ngg.

United States Patent 2,742,115 INSULATED CONSTRUCTION PANEL Herbert M. Strong, Schenectady, N. Y., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York This invention relates to an insulated construction panel of a type particularly suited to residential construction.

Various types of mineral insulating fibers have been used in building construction for many years, and they have been successful in greatly reducing the rate of heat transfer through building walls. For the most part, the insulating materials heretofore used have been very bulky and have contributed nothing to the support of the structure in which they are used.

It is an object of this invention to provide a construction panel possessing superior quality insofar as insulation is concerned while at the same time providing a strong structure occupying a minimum of space.

It is another object of the invention to provide a structure wall comprising a plurality of thin-wall insulated panels having insulated connecting means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction panel having means associated therewith whereby a plurality of such panels may be quickly joined together to form a wall.

Briefly stated, in accordance with one aspect of this invention, the house construction panel comprises a first metal sheet, a second metal sheet in spaced relation with the first metal sheet and bonded to the first sheet in gastight relationship whereby the sheets define an evacuated space, the sheets being bent on two oppositely disposed edges whereby the panel assumes the configuration of a shallow trough, a blanket of mineral insulating fibers in the evacuated space, and fastener lugs positioned along the edges of the panel on the face opposite the turned-up portions, the lugs serving as a means for fastening together a plurality of the panels in abutting relationship.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a sectional view the lines 1-1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a broken perspective view of a wall formed from a plurality of panels.

Each panel consists of an elongated metal sheet in spaced relation with a mating metal sheet 11. The sheets 10 and 11 are sealed together in gas-tight engagement around their perimeters as by a weld 12. The longitudinal edges of the panel formed by the sheets are turned through an angle of about 90 to form the panel into the configuration of a shallow trough. The outer sheet 10 has a plurality of tabs 10a extending beyond the edges and serving as a means of fastening adjoining panels.

The metal sheets 10 and 11 are composed of a metal offering a high resistance to the diffusion of gases therethrough. It is preferable that these sheets also possess a low coefficient of thermal conductivity and be corrosion resistant. Any of the stainless steels available commercially are satisfactory from the standpoint of all three requirements. Silicon steels have a low coefiicient of thermal conductivity and resist the diffusion of gases therethrough but are not as corrosion resistant as the stainless steels. Silicon steels may be used provided their exposed surfaces are given a protective coating of baked enamel, lacquer, or electroplated corrosion-resistant metal. Nonof a single panel taken along ferrous alloys, such as Monel metals, are satisfactory for the purposes of this invention. Carbon steel sheets may also be used but must be given a protective coating to avoid corrosion. The metal sheets may be very thin and flexible, if desired.

The space defined by the metal sheets 10 and 11 is filled by a blanket 13 of mineral insulating material such as slag wool, aluminum oxide, ceous fibers such as glass and quartz fibers. I prefer to use glass fibers in the blanket 13 and tohave the individual fibers randomly oriented with their axes generally parallel to the plane of the nearest portion of metal sheet 10 or 11. Glass fiber insulation of the type utilizedin this invention is disclosed and claimed in Strong and Bundy application, Serial No. 23 6,788, filed July 14, 1951,

and assigned to the same assignee as the present inven:

invention anything shown or described in said Strong and- Bundy application, which isto be regarded as prior art with respect to the present application. The fiber blanket 13 is preferably composed of fibers having an average diameter of less than 0.001 inch compressed to a density of more than 15 pounds per cubic foot. The interstitial space surrounding the fibers is evacuated to a pressure of less than 10 mm. Hg and preferably of the order of 0.1 mm. Hg. 1

I prefer to precompress the blanket of glass fibers 13 to the shallow trough shape in which it is used in the panels in accordance with the method disclosed and claimed in Janos application, Serial No. 236,971, now abandoned, which was filed July 16, ll,and in continuation-inpart application, Serial No. 303,324, which was filed on August 8, 1952, and assigned to the sameassignee as the present application. In accordance with the Janos method, a blanket of glass fibers is precompressed to the density and shape at which it willbe used and heated, while under compression, to a temperature just below the softening point of;the fibers. When the pressure. is released after theblanket has cooled, the fibers hold their compressed shape. This greatly simplifies the handling of the fibers during fabrication of the panel.

Fastener lugs 14 are positioned along the longitudinal side of the panel on the face opposite the trough sides. The lugs 14 are composed of metal which may be spot welded to the surface of the sheet 10. They serve to fasten together in abutting relationship the panels of a wall formed of a plurality of such panels. Such a wall is quickly constructed by positioning a pair of adjoining panels against a resilient gasket 20 and slipping clip strips 15 over the fastener lugs.

The fastener lugs are positioned on the side of the panel exposed to the weather. In a wall made up of a plurality of abutting panels, there is apt to be a considerable heat loss through the seams betwen abutting panels. To avoid this, a column 16 of mineral insulating material is formed around each seam. This column, which entirely encloses the seam between a pair of adjoining panels, including the fastener bolts 19 extending through the tabs 10a, is preferably encased in a sheath 17. While any of the mineral fibrous materials recommended for use in the blanket 13 may be used as the column 16, I prefer glass fibers for this purpose. If desired, electrical conduits 18 may be embedded in the mineral fiber column 16.

The thickness of the evacuated space occupied by the blanket 13 may be as little as /2 inch without impairing the superior insulating qualities of my construction. In addition to being light and occupying little space, my invention provides a structure having great rigidity. The atmosphere exerts a pressure of about 2,000 pounds per square foot against both walls of the panels. Under these or any of the various sili J conditions, the mineral fibers not only insulate but impart structuralrigidityto thepanelsand-to a wall formed of aplurality of such panels.

Since no plastering or exterior siding is required in a structure ofthe type illustrated, it becomes aneasy mat ter foal-tel the arrangement of doors, windows and wall space as desired by unbol-ting sections to-be changed and relocating them.

While the present invention has been described with reference to' particular embodiments thereof, it will be understood that numerous'modifications may be made by thosesk-illed in the art Without actually departing from the invention tocover allsuch equivalent variationsascome within the truespiritand scope of the foregoing disclosure;

What'I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States-is:

1 1. A house' construction panel comprising a first clongated metal sheet, asecond metal sheet in spaced mating relationship with-said first sheet, said sheets being sealed in gas-tight relationship at their edges'and having their longitudinal edges turned through about a 90 angle whereby said sheets define an evacuated channelshaped space, a blanket of mineral insulating fibers in said space, said fibers being randomly oriented with their axes generally parallel to the plane of the nearest portion of metal, andfastener' lugs mounted near the longitudinal sides of sa-id'panel on the face opposite said turned edges.

2. A house construction-panel as claimed in claim 1 wherein the meal sheets are composed of ametal having good thermal insulation properties and resistance to the diffusion of gases therethrough.

3. A house construction panel comprising. an elongated blanket of mineral insulating fiber the long sides of which are turned through about a 90 angle whereby said blanket possesses the shape of ashallow trough, the individual fibers of said blanketbeing randomly oriented with their axes generally parallel to the plane of the nearest surface of said blanket, a metal sheath surrounding said blanket in gas-tight relationship, the interstitial space within said sheath being evacuated, and a plurality of fastener lugsmounted on the exterior'of'said sheath along the longitudinal edges of the face opposite the turned-up sides.

4'. A house construction panel as-claimed' in claim 3' wherein the mineral fibers are composed of glass.

Therefore, I aimin the appended claims 5. A house construction panel as claimed in claim wherein the pressure within the sheath isless than 10 mm. Hg.

6. A house construction panel as claimed in claim 3 wherein the pressure within the sheath is of the order of 0.1 mm. Hg.

7. A house construction panel as claimed in claim 3 wherein the mineral fibers are composed of glass having a fiber diameter of less than 0.001 inch packed to a density in excess of fifteen pounds per cubic foot.

8. A house wall comprising a plurality of panels, each of said panels comprising a first sheet of metal, a second sheet of metal in spaced relation with said first sheet of metal, said sheets being bonded together in gas-tight relationship whereby they define an evacuated space, said sheets being bent on two oppositely disposed edges whereby the panel asusmes a shallow trough shape, a blanket of mineral insulating fibers in said evacuated space, said fibers being randomly oriented with their axes generally parallel to the plane of the nearest portion of said metal sheets, fastener lugs mounted along the sides of the face of'said panels opposite the trough sides, a clip strip ongaging each pair of adjacent lugs to maintain the trough sides of said panels in abutting relation, a mineral fiber column surrounding the top of the trough side portionof each pair of abutting panels, and a sheath for maintaining said mineral fiber column in position.

9. A house wall as claimed in claim 8 wherein both the fibers of the blanket of mineral insulating fibers and the fibers of the mineral fiber column are composed of glass fibers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,109,695 Mosler et a1. Sept. 8, 1914 1,780,269 Miller Nov. 4, 1930 2,211,644 Buck et al Aug. 13, 1940 2,244,649 Carpenter et al June 3, 1941 2,268,636 Becker Jan. 6, 1942 2,513,749 Schilling July 4, 1950 2,681,714 Katz June 22, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 614,159 Great Britain Dec. 10, 1948 

